Vehicle-body.



PATENTED JAN. 31, 1905.

w. w. RI GKBRD. V VEHICLE BODY. APPLICATION FILED OUT 5 1903 UNITEDSTATES Patented January 31, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM-W. RICKERD, OF MOUNT'PLEASANT, MICHIGAN,"-ASSIGNOR TO MASON A.BAMBQRQUGH, OF MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN.

VEHIICLE-I-BODY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No."781,362, dated January31, 1905.

\ i Application filed October 5, 1903. Serial No. 175,854.

T0 at whmn it may concern/.5

Be it known 13l13.t 1,WILLIAM W. RIoKERD, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Mount Pleasant, in the county oflsabella andStateof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVehicle- Bodies, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates tocertain new and useful improvements invehicle-bodies, its object being to obviate the necessity of usingscrews or the like for screwing together the panels or sides of the box,seat, and other parts. When screws are used for this purpose, they areusually countersunk, and plugs of some sort are employed to fill in thescrew-holes outside of the heads of the screws, so that the surface ofthe panels may appear unmarred. It is my purpose to unite the meetingedges of these panels by means of lockingdevices engaging their innerfaces, thereby leaving the outer faces entirely freefrom suchundesirable features.

To such end my invention relates to certain 5 new and usefulimprovements in the details 'Fig. 5 is a horizontal section in the line5 5 of end panels of a vehicle-body and form a rec- Fig. 2, showing bothpanels in place. In the views, A A represent the side and tangularbox-like structure.

B B are the sills, which are secured togetheras,for instance, bylap-joints to form asubstantially rigid frame for the box. Upon thecorners of this frame are secured posts 0, which may be glued to theframe or also screwed thereto, if desired. The two outer faces of thesecorner-posts are formed with dovetailed mortises or grooves 0 preferablyalong their entire length, and the panels are 1 likewise formed withmortises a, adapted to register with those in the posts.

' The panels are connected to theposts by dovetailed keys D, fitting themortises in the posts and panels, these keys being preferably glued inplace in the mortises. hanging edges of the keys and the mortises drawthe panels tightly against the post, thus firmly securing the panelsthereto. It will be readily apparent that when the key is secured inplace no lateral or longitudinal movement of the panel with respect tothe post is possible, no further fastenings being required to keeptogether the meeting edges of the two panels which form the corner. Themeeting edges of the panels are preferably miteredto give a perfectfinish to the corner; but this is not absolutely essential.

From the above it is evident that a very substantial structure is formedwithout in the lease marring the outer surface of the panels. I am awarethatboxes have been made with corner-blocks dovetailed into grooves inthe panels; but this has been found to be a very awkward construction,both in the manufacture ofthe posts and in the assembling of the parts,besides being much more, expensive than the present method, It will benoted that with this device the panel is placed in position upon thepost and the key driven in place, while with the old devices the panelshad to be hammered down upon the posts until they were in place. The keyin extending the entire width of'the panel greatly adds to its strenght,thus preventing warping thereof. The use of the key is equallyapplicable in the seatpostconstruction, as shown in Fig. 1, theseat-posts andrisers on one side of the body being shown in dotted linesonly. The risers E and the inner faces of theside panels are formed withvertical grooves-like the ones at the ends of the panels. The seat-postsF are likewise grooved and connected to the panels and risers by keys G,like the ones used in the corner construction, the beveled The over-'-edges of the keys engaging the overhanging edges of the grooves 1n thepanels and risers,

forming a very substantial construction for the seat.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A cornercomprising a post having one substantially square angle and havingdovetail mortises extending the entire length of the faces forming saidangle, panels having corresponding mortises on their inner Faces,registering With those in the post and inter locking dovetail keysseated in said mortises, said dovetail keys forming the sole lockingmeans between the post and panel.

2. A corner comprising a post having one substantially square angle andhaving dovetail mortises extending the entire length of the" two facesforming said angle, panels formed with mitered ends adapted to abutagainst each other and formed With dovetail mortises registering Withthose in the post, and interlocking dovetail keys, seated in saiddovetail mortises, said dovetail keys forming the solelocking means forlocking the panel to the post and to each other.

3. In a buggy-body the combination with two meeting sills of acorner-post secured thereto at the resulting corner, said cornerposthaving longitudinally-extending dovetail grooves upon its outer faces,panels arranged upon said corner-post with their meeting edges in closecontact and having mortises corresponding with those upon saidcorner-post and interlocking dovetail keys adapted to be driven intosaid mortises, the said dovetail keys forming the sole means for lockingthe panels to the corner-posts.

In witness whereof I have signed the above application for LettersPatent, at Mount Pleasant, in the county of Isabella and State ofMichigan, this 3d day of October, A. l). 1903.

WILLIAM W. RICKERD.

Witnesses:

MAsoN A. BAMBOROUGII, BLANCIIE BARKER.

